Tuesday, March 13, 2012

So this batch of Post-Crisis Previews is definitely confirming what I've long suspected: the second week of the month is by far the best one. Seriously, there are a ton of titles beyond the cut, and every single one is a quality book. There's old standbys, such as Batwoman and the Punisher, but perhaps the most exciting book dropping this week is Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples' brand new series, Saga. And those are only the beginning. Amazing books await you, so get hitting that jump already!

ADVENTURE TIME #2
Written by Ryan North
Art by Shelli Paroline
Back up Stories by Lucy Knisley & Zac Gorman

It's Totally Mathematical! Join Finn, Jake, and all of their friends in this second issue of the ongoing comic book series showcasing all-new adventures through the magical Land of Ooo. The boys have embarked on another crazy-cool adventure, and this one will be their longest, most exciting yet! The top-rated Cartoon Network show now has its own comic book! The Adventure is just beginning, so don't miss out on this exploding phenomenon - this is an issue that will go fast!

Grant: As you're probably aware, the first issue of the Adventure Time comic book adaptation was kind of a big deal, selling out before it was even released. It also happened to be pretty darned good, which is always a bonus. Fortunately, if you weren't able to find your own copy of this enjoyable yarn, Boom! is also releasing a reprint of the first issue this week, so you can pick up the first two parts of this adventure and be completely caught up. Pretty convenient, right? With internet stalwart Ryan North on writing duties, there's really no reason to not be buying this guy (unless you hate fun, in which case there's little I can do for you).

Six lives on converging courses that will change them forever...
Batwoman, in a hidden lair beneath Gotham Harbor, faces a horde of monsters inspired by urban legends led by Falchion, an evil mastermind.
Jacob Kane waits in agony for some sign of life.
Kate Kane tries to enjoy new romance as the werebeast Abbot begs for her help.
Maro, an enigmatic wizard, evokes an evil that all children fear: their own reflections in a darkened mirror.
Detective Maggie Sawyer is caught in a turf war between The Werebeast Cult and The Medusa Syndicate.
DEO Agent Cameron Chase struggles with a new operative who refuses to be controlled.
It’s all coming in “To Drown the World,” part 2.

Grant: That is one long solicitation, but everything in it is music to my ears. Batwoman is an amazing title - far better than my wildest expectations - and I have every faith in its contents. It's a shame to hear that Amy Reeder isn't going to be around for much longer, but I'll enjoy the ride while she's still around. Trevor McCarthy will have some enormous shoes to fill when he comes in at issue #9.

CONAN THE BARBARIAN #2
Written by Brian Wood
Art by Becky Cloonan

Death has come for Conan and his fellow sailors in the visage of the privateer Bêlit! Rage and desire mingle in an orgy of slaughter as the barbarian and the pirate queen glimpse each other for the first time—as opponents in a battle to the last man!
• A bold, fresh take on the Cimmerian from Brian Wood (DMZ, Northlanders) and Becky Cloonan (Demo, Pixu)!
• Perfect for readers new to Conan!

Grant: The opening issue of this series was fantastic. Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan are putting together an excellent Conan yarn, acting as both a great introduction and a generally awesome story. Seeing as I have not read the story this comic is adapting (or any Conan, to be frank), I can't wait to see what comes next. Bêlit strikes me as an intriguing character, and I'm eager to see what she gets up to.

This is it! The walls have fallen, the battle is joined, and the only possible outcome is death…but the Demon Knights keep fighting! History has a grand destiny in store for this alliance of unlikely outcasts – should they survive this issue, that is! After all, beyond the mountains, on the road to Alba Sarum, greater evils than the Horde are lurking...

Grant: Demon Knights is perhaps my guiltiest of pleasures from DC's New 52. It's fun as all get out, and even if it's a little on the fluffy side, I'm always happy to have more of it. Admittedly, I'm quite glad that it appears that the fight they've been building towards since issue #1 is finally going to happen; I've been getting a little impatient for that to actually happen, so hopefully they finally deliver on that promise.

A fiery menace is turning the city into an inferno, and only Lobster Johnson and his league of crime fighters can put an end to these paranormal horrors.
• From the pages of Hellboy!
• Art by Tonci Zonjic (Who Is Jake Ellis?).
“Lobster Johnson has all the action and nostalgia that makes Hellboy fun, distilled into one glorious book.” —Comic Book Resources

Grant: Lobster Johnson's second go around at a miniseries has been quite good thus far. It's interesting to see him a bit earlier in his career, and the sudden supernatural turn last issue really upped the ante. I can't wait to see what Lobster does about it.

PETER PANZERFAUST #2
Written by Kurtis J. Wiebe
Art by Tyler Jenkins

"THE GREAT ESCAPE," Part Two
With Calais in the early stages of occupation, Peter and the boys discover a squad of captured British soldiers. Seeing an opportunity to get a ticket to London by saving them, they engage in a dangerous game of espionage that ends with a deadly showdown.

Grant: The first issue was really interesting, although I must say it ended a tad abruptly. Now that the concept has been properly introduced, hopefully Wiebe will have a bit more time to explore the characters peopling his World War 2-era Peter Pan adaptation. And hopefully they ending isn't quite so sudden this time.

PUNISHER #9
Written by Greg Rucka
Art by Marco Checchetto

• Two Punishers For The Price Of One! But They Ain’t Partners.
• The Exchange Tries To Solve Their Punisher Problem, Permanently, With The Aid Of Some Unique Technology.
• It Gets Loud.

Grant: I'm still having a bit of a hard time believing it, but Greg Rucka and Marco Checcetto's Punisher is probably my favourite book that Marvel is putting out right now. Their take on the character - and the many secondary characters they have introduced - is so good that I'm dying to know what comes next. It should be particularly interesting with both Frank and Rachel Cole Alves out in the field again. Will they be cooperating or at each other's necks?

SAGA #1
Written by Brian K. Vaughan
Art by Fiona Staples

Y: THE LAST MAN writer BRIAN K. VAUGHAN returns to comics with red-hot artist FIONA STAPLES for an all-new ONGOING SERIES! Star Wars-style action collides with Game of Thrones-esque drama in this original sci-fi/fantasy epic for mature readers, as new parents Marko and Alana risk everything to raise their child amidst a never-ending galactic war. The adventure begins in a spectacular DOUBLE-SIZED FIRST ISSUE, with forty-four pages of story with no ads for the regular price of just $2.99!

Grant: We at The Weekly Crisis have been waiting for more Brian K. Vaughan for pretty much ever. Now it's here. If you aren't planning on reading this, then I'm sorry to say that you're doing it wrong. Considering Vaughan and Fiona Staples' respective track records, there's really no way that this book can be bad. Also, in case you skipped the solicitation, this book is offering you 48 pages of comics without ads for the low, low price of $2.99! That's more than twice as much content as you'll find in any DC book for the exact same price! The value alone should get you on board for this. Any way you look at it, this is a win-win-win situation.

UNWRITTEN #35
Written by Mike Carey
Art by Peter Gross & M.K. Perker

The epic, extra-sized finale of “Tommy Taylor and the War of Words!” The trap within the trap is finally sprung. The War of Words ends in a no-holds-barred battle between Tom Taylor and his deadliest enemy, with horrendous consequences for every living human – and for the stories on which our lives depend. Nobody is walking away from this one unscathed, and someone very close to Tommy pays the ultimate price...

Grant: I'm always ready for more Unwritten. This is a book that anyone who likes comics or literature (or both!) should be reading. While 48 pages for five bucks is a little steep (especially when Saga is doing that for only three dollars and no ads - NO ADS PEOPLE!), but whatever. War of the Words has been good and I'm excited to see what craziness Mike Carey and Peter Gross will manage to get into the conclusion of this one. Let's do this.

X-23 #21
Written by Marjorie Liu
Art by Phil Noto

• X-23’S Globehopping Journey Comes To A Close.
• After All This Time Spent Choosing Who She Will Be, Will She Permanently Choose A Team As Well?

Grant: We had to wait a bit for it, but X-23 is finally coming to it's end. I'm sad to see this book go, but I'm glad that I got a chance to be part of things while it was still ongoing. Marjorie Liu has definitely found a fan in me (although I kind of wish the solicitations would stop making such a big deal about which team she's going to side with. Isn't she already showing up in the pages of Avengers Academy? Not really clear where the mystery is there...).

What a week, eh? And these are only a small portion of what I can only imagine is an even bigger total of greatness. Is there anything that I'm missing this week that I should really be looking into? Hit me up in the comments if so!

Related Posts

3
comments:

Klep
said...

Theoretically X-23 is showing up in Avengers Academy, though I can't blame you for not being clear on that. She's barely been used at all. Such a waste to take her book away to throw her into a team book that doesn't seem to want her.

Post a Comment

Thanks for checking out the Weekly Crisis - Comic Book Review Blog. Comments are always appreciated. You can sign in and comment with any Google, Wordpress, Live Journal, AIM, OpenID or TypePad account.

Friends of The Weekly Crisis

Who is Behind The Weekly Crisis?

My name is Kirk Warren and I’m a full time comic fan blowing my pay cheques on way too many comics every week.

Back in the early 90's, my mother bought me a Spider-Man comic to shut me up on a trip. I didn’t know it at the time, but that moment changed my life. Since then I've become a full blown comic fan and now purchase well in excess of 20 comics per month plus trades and other comic related goods.

As you can see, I've taken my hobby to the next step with this blog and it's allowed me to connect every single day with thousands of people that share the same passion I have for comics and I wouldn't change that for the world.